The Complete Stories

The publication of this extraordinary volume firmly established Flannery O'Connor's monumental contribution to American fiction. There are thirty-one stories here in all, including twelve that do not appear in the only two story collections O'Connor put together in her short lifetime--Everything That Rises Must Converge and A Good Man Is Hard to Find. O'Connor published her first story, "The Geranium," in 1946, while she was working on her master's degree at the University of Iowa. Arranged chronologically, this collection shows that her last story, "Judgement Day"--sent to her publisher shortly before her death—is a brilliantly rewritten and transfigured version of "The Geranium." Taken together, these stories reveal a lively, penetrating talent that has given us some of the most powerful and disturbing fiction of the twentieth century. Also included is an introduction by O'Connor's longtime editor and friend, Robert Giroux.---Contents---Introduction by Robert Giroux The Geranium The Barber WildcatThe CropThe TurkeyThe TrainThe PeelerThe Heart of the ParkA Stroke of Good FortuneEnoch and the GorillaA Good Man Is Hard to FindA Late Encounter with the EnemyThe Life You Save May Be Your OwnThe RiverA Circle in the FireThe Displaced PersonA Temple of the Holy GhostThe Artificial NiggerGood Country PeopleYou Can't Be Any Poorer Than DeadGreenleafA View of the WoodsThe Enduring ChillThe Comforts of HomeEverything That Rises Must ConvergeThe Partridge Festival The Lame Shall Enter FirstWhy Do the Heathen Rage?RevelationParker's BackJudgement Day